History of Toronto Blue Jays in Timeline
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1967: Toronto Maple Leafs Baseball Team
From 1896 to 1967, Toronto was home to the Toronto Maple Leafs baseball team of the International League.
1972: Early Wynn Hall of Fame Pitcher
Early Wynn was already a Baseball Hall of Fame pitcher since 1972.
January 1976: Near Relocation of San Francisco Giants to Toronto
In January 1976, a Canadian consortium nearly relocated the San Francisco Giants to Toronto, planning to rebrand them as the Toronto Giants.
April 7, 1977: Inaugural Game
On April 7, 1977, the Toronto Blue Jays debuted with a win against the Chicago White Sox.
1977: Early Wynn Radio Broadcaster for Blue Jays
From 1977 to 1981, Early Wynn, a Baseball Hall of Fame pitcher, served as a radio broadcaster for the Blue Jays alongside Tom Cheek.
1977: Bobby Doerr Joins Blue Jays as Hitting Coach
In 1977, Bobby Doerr, a former second baseman with the Boston Red Sox, became a hitting coach with the Blue Jays and served until 1981.
1977: First-Year Expansion Team Attendance Record
In 1977, the Blue Jays set an MLB record for a first-year expansion team with an attendance of 1,219,551 after 50 home games, and 1,701,152 by the end of the season.
1979: BJ Birdy Mascot Debut
From 1979, BJ Birdy served as the Blue Jays' sole mascot. The mascot was played by Kevin Shanahan.
1981: Bobby Doerr leaves Blue Jays as Hitting Coach
From 1977 to 1981, Bobby Doerr, a former second baseman with the Boston Red Sox, served as a hitting coach with the Blue Jays.
1981: Early Wynn Radio Broadcaster for Blue Jays
From 1977 to 1981, Early Wynn, a Baseball Hall of Fame pitcher, served as a radio broadcaster for the Blue Jays alongside Tom Cheek.
1983: "OK Blue Jays" Song Release
In 1983, the pop song "OK Blue Jays" by Keith Hampshire and The Bat Boys was released.
1984: Labatt Owned TSN and the Jays
From 1984 to 1995, Labatt owned The Sports Network (TSN), which served as the primary cable television outlet for the Blue Jays.
1984: Exhibition Games in Vancouver
In 1984, the Blue Jays played a three-game exhibition series against the Milwaukee Brewers at BC Place in Vancouver.
1985: Exhibition Games in Vancouver
In 1985, the Blue Jays played a three-game exhibition series against the Milwaukee Brewers at BC Place in Vancouver.
1986: Bobby Doerr Elected to Baseball Hall of Fame
In 1986, Bobby Doerr, who served as a hitting coach with the Blue Jays early in their history (1977-1981), was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame, making him the first person associated with the franchise to receive this honor.
August 4, 1989: Stieb Loses Perfect Game Bid
On August 4, 1989, Dave Stieb came close to pitching a perfect game, but gave up a double to Roberto Kelly of the Yankees with two outs in the ninth inning. Kelly then scored, ending Stieb's bid for perfection.
1989: Buttoned uniforms adopted
In 1989, upon moving to Rogers Centre (then SkyDome), the Blue Jays adopted buttoned uniforms, relocating the team logo to the left chest on the home uniforms. The road uniforms changed from powder blue to grey, and player names were added.
1990: Attendance Record
In 1990, the Blue Jays set an attendance record with 3,885,284 fans.
1991: First MLB Team to Attract Over Four Million Fans
In 1991, the Blue Jays became the first MLB team to attract over four million fans, with an attendance of 4,001,526.
1992: Attendance Record
In 1992, the Blue Jays had an attendance of 4,028,318.
1992: First World Series Championship
In 1992, the Toronto Blue Jays won their first World Series championship, becoming the first team outside the U.S. to achieve this feat.
1993: All-blue caps worn universally
By 1993, the Blue Jays were wearing all-blue caps universally, replacing the original cap design.
1993: Exhibition Games in Vancouver
In 1993, the Blue Jays played exhibition games against the Detroit Tigers and Milwaukee Brewers in Vancouver.
1993: Attendance Record Broken by Colorado Rockies
In 1993, the Blue Jays' attendance of 4,057,947 stood as an AL record for 12 years, although it was broken overall by the Colorado Rockies.
1993: Second World Series Championship
In 1993, the Toronto Blue Jays won their second consecutive World Series championship.
1994: Blue alternate uniforms introduced
In 1994, the Blue Jays began wearing blue alternate uniforms featuring the team name and numerals in white/blue/white split letters.
1995: Labatt Owned TSN and the Jays
From 1984 to 1995, Labatt owned The Sports Network (TSN), which served as the primary cable television outlet for the Blue Jays.
1996: Level of Excellence Instituted
In 1996, the Blue Jays instituted a "Level of Excellence" on the 500 level of the Rogers Centre, honouring "tremendous individual achievement."
1996: Red uniforms worn on Canada Day
Since 1996, the Blue Jays wore predominantly red or red-accented uniforms every July 1, Canada Day, based on the team's alternate uniforms at the time but with red as the primary colour.
1997: Logo and uniform update
Prior to the 1997 season, the Blue Jays updated their logo and uniforms, increasing the usage of red. Letters and numerals were changed to split letters, and an updated all-blue cap was paired with the home and road uniforms.
1998: Tigers move to AL Central
In 1998, the Detroit Tigers moved to the AL Central, causing the Toronto Blue Jays and Detroit Tigers' rivalry to dwindle.
1999: BJ Birdy Mascot Retirement
In 1999, BJ Birdy stopped serving as the Blue Jays' mascot.
1999: Alternate sleeveless white uniform unveiled
In 1999, the Blue Jays unveiled an alternate sleeveless white uniform with the same lettering style as the regular home uniform, replacing the chest numerals with the primary logo. Blue undershirts were worn with this uniform.
2000: Ace and Diamond Mascots Introduction
In 2000, Ace and Diamond were introduced as the Blue Jays' mascots, replacing BJ Birdy.
2001: Uniform modifications made
Before the 2001 season, the Blue Jays made slight modifications to the uniforms, eliminating the tricolour stripes and adding a single color piping. The road uniforms gained blue sleeves in a faux-vest design, and the alternate white uniform featured the new "T-bird" logo.
2003: Diamond Mascot Removal
After the 2003 season, Diamond was removed as a mascot, leaving Ace as the team's sole mascot.
2003: "T-bird" logo becomes primary
In 2003, the "T-bird" logo became the primary logo, taking over the previous logo's placement on the caps and sleeves. The alternate white uniforms brought back chest numerals.
2003: "OK Blue Jays" Song Remix
In 2003, the song "OK Blue Jays" was remixed and a shortened version has been played at home games since then.
2004: New visual identity adopted
Before the 2004 season, the Blue Jays adopted a new visual identity with a black, silver and graphite motif. The home and black alternates simply read "Jays" in front.
2004: Rogers Purchases SkyDome
In 2004, Rogers Communications purchased SkyDome and renamed it Rogers Centre.
2005: Montreal Expos become Washington Nationals
In 2005, the Montreal Expos became the Washington Nationals, leaving the Blue Jays as the only MLB team based outside the U.S.
2005: New York Yankees Break AL Attendance Record
In 2005, the New York Yankees broke the Blue Jays' AL attendance record from 1993.
2006: Red trim added to black alternate uniforms
In 2006, the Blue Jays added red trim to their black alternate uniforms for Canada Day.
2007: CBC Carried Blue Jays Games in 2007
CBC carried Blue Jays games intermittently throughout the team's history, most recently in 2007 and 2008. The broadcasts featured Jim Hughson as the play-by-play announcer, and former Blue Jays Rance Mulliniks and Jesse Barfield on colour commentary.
2008: CBC Carried Blue Jays Games in 2008
CBC carried Blue Jays games intermittently throughout the team's history, most recently in 2007 and 2008. The broadcasts featured Jim Hughson as the play-by-play announcer, and former Blue Jays Rance Mulliniks and Jesse Barfield on colour commentary. Also, the Blue Jays have not appeared over-the-air in Canada in English since 2008.
2008: Rogers Granted License for "Baseball TV"
In 2008, Rogers Communications, owner of the Blue Jays, was granted a license by the Canadian Radio-Television Commission (CRTC) for a "Baseball TV" specialty channel, intended to combine content from the United States–based MLB Network with original Canadian content. However, the channel was never launched, and Rogers instead sponsored an application to allow distribution of the U.S. MLB Network on Canadian providers.
2008: Tom Cheek nominated for Ford C. Frick Award
In 2008, Tom Cheek received the third most votes from fans to be nominated for the Ford C. Frick Award for broadcasting excellence.
2008: Road uniforms tweaked for legibility
In 2008, the Blue Jays tweaked their road uniforms to include 3D-style block letters and numerals in light blue trimmed in black and white, along with chest numerals, due to complaints of illegibility.
2009: Red maple leaf added to uniform sleeve
In 2009, a red maple leaf was added to the right sleeve of the Blue Jays' uniforms.
August 2010: Sportsnet One Broadcasts Blue Jays Games
As of August 2010, Sportsnet One began broadcasting Toronto Blue Jays games, often to resolve scheduling conflicts with the main Sportsnet channels. However, Rogers faced criticism as Sportsnet One was initially exclusively available on Rogers Cable systems.
July 31, 2011: Roberto Alomar's Number Retired
Soon after being inducted in the Hall of Fame as a Blue Jay, on July 31, 2011, second baseman Roberto Alomar was the first person to have his number, #12, retired by the Blue Jays. However, #12 was later unretired due to controversies surrounding Alomar. Jordan Hicks became the first Blue Jay since 2011 to wear this number.
2011: Gregg Zaun colour analyst from 2011 to 2017
From 2011 to 2017, Gregg Zaun was one of the colour analysts for the Blue Jays games broadcasted on Sportsnet.
2011: Gregg Zaun serves as colour commentator
From the 2011 season, Gregg Zaun served as the occasional colour commentator for the Blue Jays.
2011: José Bautista's All-Star Votes Record
In 2011, José Bautista set a major league record with 7,454,753 All-Star votes.
2011: Roberto Alomar Elected to Baseball Hall of Fame
In 2011, second baseman Roberto Alomar was elected into the Baseball Hall of Fame, becoming the first player to be inducted based primarily on his service as a player for the Blue Jays.
2011: TVA Sports Aired Games in French
Since 2011, TVA Sports has been airing Blue Jays games in French, with Denis Casavant and François Paquet providing play-by-play commentary and Rodger Brulotte on color commentary.
2011: Teams face each other six to seven times per year
Since 2011, the Toronto Blue Jays and Detroit Tigers face each other only six to seven times per year.
September 2012: AMI-tv Simulcasts Blue Jays Games with Described Video
In September 2012, AMI-tv simulcast three Blue Jays games, providing described video with explanations of on-screen graphics by CJCL's Sam Cosentino. This initiative was praised by Paul Beeston as a revolutionary approach to accommodating the needs of the blind and low-vision community, making the Blue Jays the first sports organization to offer games in this format.
2012: New uniforms and logo unveiled
Prior to the 2012 season, the Blue Jays unveiled new uniforms and a modernized logo, similar to those used from 1989 to 1996. New serifed split letters were also released.
2012: Canadian Armed Forces Tribute
Since 2012, every Sunday home game, the Blue Jays pay tribute to a member of the Canadian Armed Forces, presenting them with a personalized jersey during the third inning.
June 27, 2013: First Canadian MLB Broadcast in Mandarin
On June 27, 2013, Rogers' Omni Television station CJMT-DT simulcast a Blue Jays game with Mandarin commentary, marking the first-ever Canadian MLB broadcast in that language. The game was scheduled to be started by Taiwanese player Chien-Ming Wang.
2013: Jack Morris serves as colour commentator
During the 2013 season, Jack Morris served as the colour commentator for the Toronto Blue Jays radio broadcasts.
2013: Dirk Hayhurst fills in for Morris
In 2013, former Blue Jays pitcher Dirk Hayhurst filled in for Jack Morris for some games as a colour commentator.
2013: Tom Cheek receives Frick Award posthumously
Tom Cheek posthumously received the Ford C. Frick Award in 2013 after nine years on the ballot.
2013: Level of Excellence Redesigned in 2013
Until the 2013 All-Star Break, players' uniform numbers were listed on the Level of Excellence at Rogers Centre. During the 2013 All-Star Break, the Level of Excellence was redesigned for the addition of Carlos Delgado's name. The redesign removed all uniform numbers from the Level of Excellence aside from Roberto Alomar's retired #12, Roy Halladay's retired #32 and Tom Cheek's 4306 consecutive called games streak.
2014: Exhibition Games in Montreal
In 2014, the Blue Jays hosted exhibition games against the New York Mets at Olympic Stadium in Montreal.
2015: Sportsnet carried U.S. broadcast for Blue Jays games
Due to the structure of Rogers' MLB broadcast contracts, Sportsnet carried the U.S. broadcast (such as Fox) for Blue Jays games during the 2015 postseason play because it is technically considered a regional broadcaster at that time.
2015: Josh Donaldson's All-Star Votes Record
In 2015, Josh Donaldson set a new major league record by receiving 14,090,188 All-Star votes in his first season with the Blue Jays.
2015: Modernized version of white-panelled blue caps worn as alternate
In 2015, the Blue Jays began wearing a modernized version of the white-panelled blue caps they originally wore from 1977 to 1993 as an alternate.
2015: Playoff Berth and Division Championship
In 2015, the Blue Jays clinched a playoff berth and division championship, ending a 21-season drought.
2015: Exhibition Games in Montreal
In 2015, the Blue Jays hosted exhibition games against the Cincinnati Reds at Olympic Stadium in Montreal.
2015: Playoff Appearance
In 2015, the Blue Jays made a playoff appearance driven by stars like José Bautista and Josh Donaldson.
2015: High ratings for 2015 ALDS broadcasts
Sportsnet's broadcasts of the 2015 American League Division Series games involving the Blue Jays were among the highest-rated telecasts in the network's history, with Game 4 drawing 4.38 million viewers.
2016: Sportsnet carried U.S. broadcast for Blue Jays games
Due to the structure of Rogers' MLB broadcast contracts, Sportsnet carried the U.S. broadcast (such as TBS) for Blue Jays games during the 2016 postseason play because it is technically considered a regional broadcaster at that time. Buck Martinez served as a colour commentator for post-season coverage simulcast by Sportsnet, having formerly worked Division Series games for TBS and on the MLB International broadcast of the 2016 World Series.
2016: Exhibition Games in Montreal
In 2016, the Blue Jays hosted exhibition games against the Boston Red Sox at Olympic Stadium in Montreal.
2016: Playoff Appearance
In 2016, the Blue Jays made another playoff appearance.
2016: Second Consecutive Playoff Berth
In 2016, the Blue Jays secured a second consecutive playoff berth as an AL wild card.
July 2017: Series draws season-best attendance for Tigers
In July 2017, a three-game series between the Toronto Blue Jays and the Detroit Tigers at Comerica Park drew a season-best-to-date total attendance of 115,088 for the Tigers.
November 7, 2017: Roy Halladay Died in an Airplane Crash
On November 7, 2017, Roy Halladay died in an airplane crash. The Blue Jays retired his number #32 on March 29, 2018 in his honor.
2017: Gregg Zaun terminated
At the end of the 2017 season, Gregg Zaun was terminated amid accusations of improper conduct from several female employees.
2017: Ben Wagner hired as primary radio play-by-play announcer
Following Jerry Howarth's retirement in the 2017 season, Ben Wagner was hired as the primary radio play-by-play announcer, splitting duties with Dan Shulman and Mike Wilner.
2017: Gregg Zaun colour analyst from 2011 to 2017
From 2011 to 2017, Gregg Zaun was one of the colour analysts for the Blue Jays games broadcasted on Sportsnet.
2017: Exhibition Games in Montreal
In 2017, the Blue Jays hosted exhibition games against the Pittsburgh Pirates at Olympic Stadium in Montreal.
2017: Jr. Jay Saturday Promotions End
Until the end of the 2017 season, Ace was accompanied by his younger brother, Junior, usually on the Jr. Jay Saturday promotions.
March 29, 2018: Blue Jays Retired Roy Halladay's #32
On March 29, 2018, the Blue Jays retired #32 in honour of Roy Halladay, who died in an airplane crash on November 7, 2017, becoming the second number to be retired by the Blue Jays.
June 2018: Omni to air games in Tagalog
In June 2018, Omni announced that it would air Sunday afternoon games in Tagalog, the most spoken language of the Philippines, for the remainder of the season.
2018: Exhibition Games in Montreal
In 2018, the Blue Jays hosted exhibition games against the St. Louis Cardinals at Olympic Stadium in Montreal.
2018: Jr. Jay Sunday Promotions
Since the 2018 season, the Jr. Jay promotions were moved to select Sundays.
June 29, 2019: "O Canada" Sung in Cree and English
On June 29, 2019, "O Canada" was sung in Cree and English.
2019: Undefeated in World Series Appearances
As of 2019, the Blue Jays were one of only two MLB franchises undefeated through multiple World Series appearances.
2019: Sunday Broadcasts in Tagalog
In 2019, Sportsnet and Omni announced a regular season of Sunday broadcasts in Tagalog.
2019: Exhibition Games in Montreal
In 2019, the Blue Jays hosted exhibition games against the Milwaukee Brewers at Olympic Stadium in Montreal.
2020: Modernized powder blue uniforms unveiled
Before the 2020 season, the Blue Jays unveiled a modernized version of the powder blue uniforms, featuring navy/white/navy serifed split letters and numerals. These uniforms are paired with a powder-brimmed navy cap and an all-navy helmet.
2020: Home Games in Buffalo, New York
During the 2020 season, the Blue Jays played home games at Sahlen Field in Buffalo, New York, due to border restrictions from the COVID-19 pandemic.
2020: Exhibition Games Cancellation
In 2020, a series of exhibition games against the New York Yankees was scheduled for Montreal but cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
2020: Wild Card Playoff Berth
In 2020, the Blue Jays qualified for the playoffs as a wild card team.
April 30, 2021: Alomar Removed from Level of Excellence
On April 30, 2021, the Blue Jays announced that they would remove Roberto Alomar from the Level of Excellence and take down his banner at Rogers Centre after he was banned from baseball for sexual harassment.
September 30, 2021: "O Canada" Sung in English, French, and Anishinaabemowin
On September 30, 2021, the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, "O Canada" was sung in English, French, and Anishinaabemowin.
2021: Canada Day Game in Buffalo
In 2021, the Blue Jays' Canada Day game was held in Buffalo, New York, due to Canada-U.S. travel restrictions.
September 30, 2022: "O Canada" Sung in French, English, and Blackfoot
On September 30, 2022, the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, "O Canada" was sung in French, English, and Blackfoot.
2022: Jacques Doucet Retired
In 2022, Jacques Doucet, former Montreal Expos radio announcer, retired from broadcasting Blue Jays games on TVA Sports, where he had been since 2011.
2022: Sportsnet to carry its own production of Blue Jays postseason games in 2022
In 2022, MLB allowed Sportsnet to carry its own production of Blue Jays postseason games as it is technically a national broadcaster.
2022: Wild Card Playoff Berth
In 2022, the Blue Jays qualified for the playoffs as a wild card team.
March 5, 2023: Bautista to join Level of Excellence
On March 5, 2023, the Blue Jays announced that Jose Bautista would join the Level of Excellence on August 12, 2023.
August 12, 2023: Bautista joins Level of Excellence
Jose Bautista joined the Level of Excellence on August 12, 2023, in a pre-game ceremony prior to their game that day versus the Chicago Cubs.
2023: Dan Shulman and Buck Martinez as primary commentators
In 2023, Dan Shulman became the lead play-by-play announcer for Blue Jays games on Sportsnet, with Buck Martinez as the primary colour commentator. On select series, Matt Devlin replaced Shulman, and Joe Siddall replaced Martinez.
2023: TVA Sports rights to 81 Blue Jay games
In 2023, TVA Sports signed a three-year deal to air 81 Blue Jays games per season.
2023: Wild Card Playoff Berth
In 2023, the Blue Jays qualified for the playoffs as a wild card team.
2024: Player Trades
During the 2024 regular season and before the trade deadline, the Blue Jays traded Cavan Biggio, Yimi Garcia, Nate Pearson, Danny Jansen, Justin Turner, Yusei Kikuchi, Trevor Richards, Isiah Kiner-Falefa, and Kevin Kiermaier.
2024: Win-Loss Record
From 1977 to 2024, the Blue Jays' overall win-loss record is 3,761–3,788–3 (.498).
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